Lisa Edison-Smith practices exclusively in the area of employment and labor law and litigation, and is a MSBA Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist. She focuses her practice on providing practical advice to North Dakota and Minnesota private and public sector employers, including schools and higher education, on a variety of issues related to discrimination and harassment, state and federal compliance issues, wage and hour law, employment contracts, policy review, hiring and termination, internal investigations, and employee benefits. She frequently provides training on harassment and other current issues in employment law to employers throughout the area. Lisa also represents employers in labor matters, negotiations, and arbitrations.  

Lisa is a qualified neutral under Rule 11 of the Minnesota General Rules of Practice and is included in North Dakota’s ADR Neutral Roster maintained by the North Dakota Supreme Court Administrator’s Office.  

Lisa is an editor of the North Dakota Employment Law Letter, a monthly newsletter designed to provide proactive advice and the latest employment law news to North Dakota employers.  

Lisa is a graduate of Hamline University School of Law, where she was awarded the Lyons Award as the graduate with the highest academic standing. Before joining the firm, she served as a law clerk to the honorable Chief Justice A.M. Keith of the Minnesota Supreme Court and worked for over eight years for GTE corporation in finance and accounting.  

She graduated summa cum laude from North Dakota State University with an undergraduate degree in accounting and business administration and passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant exam with national distinction. 

Honors and Distinctions

• Listed in Band 1, the highest ranking, as a Leading North Dakota Labor & Employment Attorney by Chambers USA
• Great Plains Super Lawyers®, Thomson/Reuters, 2012 – 2024
• “The Best Lawyers in America,” in Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management, and Litigation-Labor and Employment, Woodward/White, 2010 – 2025
• AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated, Martindale-Hubbell
• “Lawyer of the Year” in Employment Law-Management, Labor Law-Management, and Litigation-Labor and Employment, Woodward/White (2014, 2016, 2017, 2020, 2023, 2025) 

Certified Legal Specialties

• MSBA Certified Labor and Employment Law Specialist

Memberships

• Minnesota and North Dakota State Bar Associations
• American Bar Association
• Employers Counsel Network (ECN)
• North Dakota School Boards Association’s Legal Services Program
• Council of School Attorneys

Admitted to Practice

• North Dakota
• Minnesota
• Arizona
• U.S. District Court District of North Dakota
• U.S. District Court District of Minnesota
• U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit